Chef Paul Warthen of Potager Restaurant and Wine Bar has run kitchens in Philadelphia, Pensacola, New York City, and Denver. In all of those spots he has maintained one thing above all else: relationships with farmers. While he himself grew up on a 500 acre dairy farm, the farm relationship is near and dear to his roots, ultimately leading him to help craft the local, seasonal menu at Potager.

Paul C Reilly grew up in New York’s Hudson Valley and has been working in kitchens since he was fourteen. Paul is the executive chef and proprietor of multiple concepts in Denver, Colorado (currently Coperta and Apple Blossom) . Paul is an ambassador of the good food movement working closely with Boulder County Farmers Markets, Good Food 100, Slow Food USA, and JBF Smart Catch. He is a James Beard Foundation Scholarship Winner and an alumnus of the James Beard Boot Camp for Policy and Change.

Chef Caroline Glover of Annette Scratch to Table and Traveling Mercies AND Chef Amy Cohen of Stowaway Kitchen wanted to hang out with each other (and you) and cook you some food. These two friends are both unbelievably talented in the kitchen, and can often be see walking the market to get some fresh veg. Need accolades and accomplishments? How about a James Beard Award in 2022 for Chef Caroline. Need culturally diverse and creative food you can eat every day of your life? Chef Amy has your back.

Chef Pete of The Plimoth is a local-sourcing legend around Denver. Chef Pete’s modern yet casual approach to classical French dishes has certainly garnered the attention of his contemporaries, but more than that, his sourcing practices and effortless seasonal ingredient use have given him legend status among front range farmers. The Plimoth is a low-key fav among Denver’s real foodies, and you’ll see why if you get out for this demo.

Chef Kenny Minton of Coperta Denver was a Johnson and Wales grad right here in Denver. From there, he got an internship at Twelve with James Beard Best Chef nominee, Jeff Osaka. Known for constant menu changes, and using seasonally focused ingredients, Kenny acquired a love for working with local farmers and ranchers. When his internship ended, he joined the team at Rioja under JBF Winner, Jennifer Jasinski, and climbed through the ranks under chef Jen, starting as a prep cook and moving all the way up the line. Kenny joined the team at Coperta in august of 2016, and has worked with the Beast and Bottle group ever since.

Chef Kenneth Wan of MAKfam is relatively new to the Denver food scene, but has been making a bin splash with his new fast casual Chinese spot in the Baker neighborhood. Chef Ken and Yuen opened their first spot, HKFT (Hong Kong French Toast), to great success at the Queens Night Market in 2015 (in New York). That eventually led to the debut of the Meta Asian Kitchen brand, which started as a pop-up venture in Jersey City. In 2019, the couple decided to move to Denver and landed a stall in Avanti. After four years of charming locals with their Chinese-inspired street food, Wan and Yuen finally fired up the burners at their own brick-and-mortar space. (source: Chris Marhevka)

Michael Diaz de Leon (formerly of Bruto), is currently launching a new concept called Pinchi Umami. Chef was awarded the San Pellegrino Starchefs Game Changer Award in 2022, followed by becoming a finalist for the James Beard Foundation nomination for Best Chef Mountain Region and the first Mexican chef in Colorado to be awarded the Michelin Guide’s Green Star for Sustainability and 1 Star for his work at BRUTØ in 2023.